BEREA, Ohio -- John Dorsey is ready to turn around the fortunes of the Cleveland Browns.
The newly signed general manager was introduced to the Cleveland media Friday morning, and he is anxious to build the Browns into a contender in the AFC North Division after the franchise has missed the playoffs for 15 straight years.
“‘Let’s reawake this sleeping giant, the Cleveland Browns,’” Dorsey said.
Dorsey came to the Browns after helping rebuild the Kansas City Chiefs.
Before Dorsey arrived in 2013, the Chiefs had a 2-14 record in 2012 and just one winning season over a six-year stretch. However, in Dorsey’s four years as general manager, the Chiefs qualified for the postseason three times.
Admittedly, Dorsey is a football lifer who loves “everything about this great game,” and when the opportunity to lead the Browns came about, he jumped at the chance to write the next chapter in team history.
“This is one of those iconic franchises, and to me, this has got to be one of the most unique fan bases in the National Football League,” Dorsey said. “To me, that’s exciting. I’ve always liked the history of the game of football, and then, when you mention the Cleveland Browns to me, it brings back vast memories.
“I just can’t wait to try to build and establish this thing and move this thing forward. You know what we want to do? We want to be competitive every year. We want to be in the AFC North. We want to compete with these guys, year in and year out, and we’re going to do that. I can tell you that.”
Dorsey takes over a franchise that is in the middle of the most difficult stretch in NFL history.
The Browns’ winless streak now stands at 349 days, and they have not won on a Sunday afternoon since December 13, 2015. The 29 straight Sunday losses are an NFL record, and their 4-45 mark in the last 49 outings is the worst in the league in that four-year span.
Additionally, the Browns’ 1-27 mark since the start of the 2016 season is the worst in league history over a 28-game stretch, beating the previous mark of 2-26 set by the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1976-1977 seasons.
In taking over the Browns, Dorsey inherits a young team with more than 80 percent of its roster having less than four full seasons of NFL experience. However, Dorsey has plenty of capital to retool the team, as they have two first-round and three second-round selections in the 2018 NFL Draft, as well as more than $59 million in salary cap space available.
“I’m excited,” Dorsey said. “To me, this is an opportunity not many personnel guys in my position would pass up. This is one of those iconic franchises that has an unbelievable fan base, and now, we’ve just got to get this thing rolling, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to roll up our sleeves. We’re going to check our egos at the door, and we’re going to work every day to go back to the AFC North.”
